Untrained Eye (12 page)

“That depends on how dangerous.” I smiled my best smug grin,
fighting the nausea that rolled around in my gut. “Some don’t hit the mark.”

He could read my expression. I could sense that he had seen my
revulsion. His eyes scoured mine and I shivered, not sure if it was the icy
air-con or him.

“He charmed others,”
Jäger
said as he led me
along a wide corridor. Floors shiny, the colors colonial, it looked like a
sugar plantation. Ones I’d seen in old civil war movies. I got the horrible
feeling that it was more like that than any school. “Media reports say he
charmed you too.”

The panic thudded through me. He was testing me, I could feel it.
“He was all looks and no substance.”

If I’d been in charge of my mouth, I would have said Sam was dumb
as a bag of hammers, that he was a bitter, lost angry soul that hurt me to
think about. I didn’t know who was in charge of me speaking but I was thinking
about asking Frei to drive me back to Serenity.

“And his crimes?” He led me further along, the walls lined with
portraits of guys in suits. They all seemed to enjoy posing like they were
monarchs or something. I had no idea who they were but I knew this place hadn’t
been around for
that
long.

“He thought he was great until he picked on someone his own size.”
I felt so detached from my words, so lacking in emotion. It was like Frei had
taken over the controls. I sounded so bored. I felt anything but. It ripped me
in two just to think of it, of Jake, of the girls.

Jäger’s eyes filled with admiration and the side of his lips
curled in a smile. It made me want to throw pickle juice in his eyes.

“I can imagine that you’re quite a challenge.”

I smiled at him. “Count on it.” I moved toward him and tidied his
lapel. I was pretty sure Renee would either be proud of my attempted cover or
tell me that I was being so dumb she was gonna shoot me. I was guessing the
latter. “I like a man who can prove his worth.”

Go figure that. My mouth was on a roll. I wanted to crawl under
the weird fluffy plant thing next to the door.

He smiled. “Look around you. There’s a lot of worth.” He held open
the wooden door, “Principal” stamped in gold letters on it. “I look forward to
seeing how you fit in.”

I strolled in and took in the large office overlooking a quadrant
of buildings like the one we stood in. Frei and Smyth sat on either side of a
huge desk as I stared out of the window. A huge tree grew in the middle of the
fake green grass. There were three large blocks enclosing the quadrant. To the
left was one that looked very much like any high school but with five floors if
the windows were anything to go by. The building on the right was a gray stone
block, some kind of weird geometric shape to the back of the building jutting
upward. Maybe it was the art block or something, I didn’t know. Opposite me,
beyond the tree was some kind of gym. I knew a gym when I saw one. Some kind of
clock tower speared up from behind it in the distance. 

Frei nodded to me, duffel bags at her feet, as I sat beside her
and Jäger joined Smyth on the other side of the table. He didn’t sit though,
just stood there watching me.

“I want them as skilled as you can get them. A lot of buyers like
to pretend that the recession is affecting them.” Smyth shot me an amused
smile. “But I like to bleed as much as I can out of the tight fists.”

Undercover was way too hard. I chuckled, hearing the falseness of
it. I’d end up punching him. I may even throw pickle juice at him too.

“Locks told me we’ll be pumping up the brats?” I glanced at Frei
who remained silent. 

“Yes,” Smyth said, placing his panama hat on the table beside him
and unbuttoning the straining jacket. “Skill captains. Her old friend Sawyer is
here, Jones too. Locks will take the ones Huber is interested in.” He glanced
at me with glassy eyes. Had he started drinking already? “As this is your first
experience, you get what’s left.”

What was left? I glanced at Frei. Her look said, “tell you later.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a potential Huber will enjoy,” Smyth said
with a rakish grin at Frei. “Can’t blame him for indulging in your other
skills,” he trailed his gaze over her, “but I do want to keep him happy.”

“And his eyes away from whatever you are hiding.” Frei smiled as I
thought about knocking the leery grin off Smyth’s face.

Smyth wagged his finger at Frei, not noticing my scowl. “Now, now
. . . you’re not here for that. He’s assigned you a teaching role.”

He sounded kinda scared of Frei. Whatever she’d said had put him
back in his place. I wanted to high-five her.

Smyth turned to me. “For continuity, I propose that you be given a
more manageable name.”

Because Alex Riley was so hard?

“Like?”
Jäger
said. His lips
curled in that smile again and he was paying me way more attention than I wanted.
I didn’t want another name.

“Oh, it would have to suit you,” Smyth said.

“Samson,” Frei said, turning to me.

I glared at her. Her eyes twinkled like she wanted to chuckle at
me. At least it wasn’t “fists,” or “towerblock,” but seriously?

Smyth and Jäger exchanged a glance then they both nodded.

“Samson it is,” Smyth chimed. “Now, Jäger will show you to your
quarters. I think you will find them satisfactory.”

Jäger strode to the door and held it open.

“I’ll expect you at the meeting tomorrow morning to go over
procedure.” Smyth didn’t bother to get up from his seat. “Locks, I know you are
aware of how we do things but it never hurts to be reminded of your place.”

Oh, I didn’t like that. I hated that tone. I hated the way he ran
his gaze over her and hated the smarmy grin on his face.

Frei didn’t flicker. She smiled as if he was paying her a great
compliment, thanked him, picked up our bags, and walked out of the room.

Pickle juice. I was going to start stocking up.

“Samson,” Jäger said with a charming smile as we headed out onto
the quadrant. It was too quiet for a school. Either it was lesson time or we’d
come to an academy of mutes. “As you are . . . higher . . . you will be
responsible for Locks and her actions.”

Higher? Like taller? I didn’t know what to say to that. “I can
handle her.”

Frei should have kicked my butt for that but instead she smiled as
if I was being sweet.

Jäger walked too close. His aftershave felt like it was attempting
to suffocate me. We walked in the buffeting wind all the way around the
opposite block and to an impressive looking villa.

I wanted to ask him where the togas were.

“Enjoy,” he purred, handing me the keys. “Just keep her locked up
at night.”

He glanced at Frei who dipped her gaze.

“Not that it’ll stop her for long. She’s a handful.” He stepped
toward her and lifted her chin. “Huber or not, behave or I’ll start finding you
interesting.”

Frei said nothing. Not a word as he stroked the side of her face.

“Good girl.”

I was trying my best but I wanted to pummel the guy. I puffed out
my chest. “Like I said, I can handle her.”

Jäger raised an eyebrow at me. He dropped his hand from Frei’s
face and wandered to me. He didn’t stop until his face was inches from mine.
“Then I’ll extend my reminder to you. Behave or I’ll find
you
interesting.”

I gripped the keys, fighting the wish to jab them into his
wandering eyes. “Sounds like an incentive.”

Jäger laughed, licked his lips, and turned to stride off back
toward the quadrant.

I was panting. My shoulders were hitched up to my ears. I wanted
to take all the fury I’d locked away over my life and let it out on him.

Creep.

Good thing I didn’t have my burdens, at least
some
of my
burdens. I didn’t want to know what icky thoughts ran through his head.

Frei’s hand on mine made me tear my gaze from Jäger’s retreating
back.

“I’ll let us in.” Her tone was softer than I’d ever heard it.

“I want to poke him with something sharp,” I muttered through a
rattling breath. “Don’t care what you say, they’re creeps. They make Sam look like
a gentleman.”

“You fronted up to him for me.” Frei touched my arm, placed the
key in the lock, and let us in. “Thank you.”

“How do you do it?” I asked, glaring around at the opulent place.
Tiled floors, clean, sharp walls, colonial with a large hole in the floor
filled with mosaic tiles. “How do you hold in the need to kick their butts?”

Frei closed the door and dropped the bags. She took my hand and
led me around the villa. “Living room, for guests.” She pointed to the left of
the door, fireplace, couple of chairs, and a coffee table. “Living room for
us.” Behind a half wall, two squishy sofas, a bookcase, and a TV over the
counter from a state-of-the-art kitchen.

“Gym is always at the back overlooking the garden.” She swept her
hand in that direction. “Kitchen diner.” She motioned at the silver fridge.
“Statues of the highest paying customers in various poses.”

There were a few. I wondered why we needed statues in a villa.

“Staircase is spiral and down the hall from the guest living
room.” She took her jacket off and slung it on a chair. “Bathroom off our
living room.” She cracked her knuckles. “Two bedrooms upstairs, a bathroom with
a whirlpool . . .” She cracked out her neck. “. . . and lots and lots of
pictures of fat men.”

“I guess that this is a cookie-cutter house then?”

Frei nodded. “It’s a senior staff villa. They rate you.” She
shrugged. “Which is why you get your very own slave.”

Didn’t that make me want to stand in a shower for a week. “There
is no way I’m letting some poor thing wander ’round picking up after me.”

“Good, because I suck at laundry.”

I stared at her as she buzzed around, pulling something out of her
pocket and switching it on. I was pretty sure I blinked a few times too. “Huh?”

She turned, catching me staring. “Me, Lorelei. That’s why he gave
you the little speech.” She shook her head, tapping her ring with her thumb.
“Don’t think I’ve ever seen him that fascinated before.” She looked me up and
down with a lopsided smile. “And I did not think you had
that
in you.”

“I was protecting you.” I folded my arms. “It was that or floor
him.”

I scowled at the thought. I didn’t care who he was. I could have
knocked his teeth out and not thought twice. Considering I spent so long in
Serenity dictated to by some pretty big losers, this place was something else.

“So I saw.” Frei fiddled with the device on the counter and it
beeped. “Good, no bugs.”

“What in Blackbear is that?” I pointed to the tiled hole in the
floor. 

She glanced at it and pulled her laptop out of her duffel bag.
“It’s . . . a water feature.”

I cocked my head. “
Why
do they have a water feature in the
middle of the living area?”

“Long story. It’s better you don’t think about it.” Pain flickered
across her eyes. It hurt watching her. She had more courage than I could ever
imagine coming back here.

“You ain’t that person no more. Look at me.” I took her by the
shoulders. “You don’t belong to anyone. You got me now.” I smiled at her. “I
ain’t gonna let you go through this alone.”

She studied me for a moment as if she wasn’t sure whether to
believe my words. Seeing her vulnerable gave me a stomach ache. I needed to get
her being Frankenfrei again.

“Fancy a workout?” I asked, hoping I could make her smile.

She shook her head. “Glutton for punishment, huh?”

It became clear why Renee always challenged her, why she made her
compete. Frei came out of herself when challenged. Her spirit shone through.

“Never,” I said, hoping it sounded convincing. “Just need to keep
them puny guns of yours working.”

Frei’s look was one of icy, cool calm. The Frei I knew. “Puny?”

Not even close to puny. She weren’t my size but those arms could
lift way more than mine. “Okay . . . maybe not puny . . . how ’bout skinny?” I
cocked my head. “No . . . no . . . scrawny?”

Frei flexed her jaw and motioned with her head to the back of the
villa. “Gym, Lorelei. You asked for it.”

She strutted off and I sighed, she was gonna blitz me even in
jeans and a t-shirt.

“Stop drooling and move.”

I made my feet do just that and tried not to think about how
painful it was going to be.

RENEE LAY, STARING up at the white nondescript ceiling. The
moonlight tinted it with silvery blue and the wind rattled the windows. A dust
storm had rolled in earlier, covering everything in brown snow and she’d
watched the maintenance guys shovel it off the paths before trying to sleep.
She’d been in the academy for a week, she’d made contact with the two POIs as
instructed. The academy seemed secure, the staff pleasant but she’d spent the
entire week in fits of frustration. There wasn’t a reason she could put her
finger on. Not even hormones.